Horner House (c. 1824) [44 E. Water St.]
This is the oldest house in downtown Toms River. After the British destroyed the village in 1782, it took years to rebuild and repopulate the area. This two-story vernacular* Georgian Revival style house was originally built for Captain Stephen Gulick. It is named for Joseph Horner, a local store owner, who purchased the house and made several additions to it. Sadly, Horner died before he could live here.
Horner House
Crawford House (c. 1827) [46 E. Water Street]
Like their neighbors, Richard Crawford and Barzillar Grover were sea captains who built the second house on East Water Street in order to be near the source of their livelihoods. The Crawford House is similar in design and scale to the Horner House and reflects the simple wood frame architecture common along Captains’ Row in the 1830s. In the late 1800s, an eastern extension was added to the house which doubled its size. Later, visiting yachtsmen used it as a rooming house. The east section was remodeled in 1929, but much of the building’s interior was carefully restored using original or similar materials such as South Jersey pine for floor planks and beams. All new wood materials were cut and purchased from the Double Trouble Company (now a N.J. State Park in Berkeley and Lacey Townships).
Crawford House
Giberson House (c. 1850-1853) [54 E. Water St.]
George W. Giberson was the captain of the schooner North America. He built this house between 1850 and 1853 from Atlantic white cedar trees. He sold his ship after he inherited his father’s sawmill and cranberry bogs at Double Trouble. George Giberson became a successful businessman and a charter director of the First National Bank of Toms River. He also served four terms as an Ocean County Freeholder in the 1880s. John Beatty, captain of the brig Keyson and Giberson’s son-in-law, later lived in the house with his family. It has been remodeled and used for many years for professional offices.
Giberson House